... Ministers have hinted repeatedly that an investigation would be held after British forces leave the country. But they have now changed tack in the hope of "moving on" in Iraq rather than looking back at what went wrong.
Asked if an inquiry would take place after British troops withdraw, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, replied: "I am obsessed with the next five years in Iraq, not the last five years in Iraq. And I think that the best 'inquiry' is putting the best brains to think about how to make sure the next five years in Iraq get that combination of political reconstruction, economic reconstruction and security improvement that are so essential."
His statement will bitterly disappoint anti-war campaigners, who hoped that Gordon Brown would draw a line under Iraq after succeeding Tony Blair by holding an investigation to ensure the lessons are learnt.
After becoming Prime Minister, Gordon Brown rejected calls for an immediate inquiry but raised hopes that one might be held after British troops withdraw.
He said in September: "There will be a time to discuss the question you raise but for the moment nothing has changed. The security and safety of our forces – and there are more than 5,000 people in Iraq – remain the first and foremost consideration."...
...In November 2006, Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, said there would be an inquiry "when the time is right" after the Government defeated a proposal calling for one in the Commons. Margaret Beckett, the then Foreign Secretary, assured MPs: "I have no doubt there will be a time when we want to learn lessons."
The hardening line against an inquiry is disclosed by Mr Miliband in an interview with Fabian Review, the journal of the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society, published next week....
The Scarlett O'Hara "defense" {"...after all, tomorrow is another day..."} ensures that the Iraq "pre-emptive" invasion was not the first, nor will it be the last.
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